Full Definition of GOOD

b (1):suitable, fit<good to eat>(2): free from injury or disease <one good arm>(3): not depreciated <bad money drives out good>(4): commercially sound <a good risk>(5): that can be relied on <good for another year><good for a hundred dollars><always good for a laugh>(6):profitable, advantageous<made a very good deal>

f (1):adequate, satisfactory<good care> —often used in faint praise <his serve is only good — Frank Deford>(2): conforming to a standard <good English>(3):choice, discriminating<good taste>(4): containing less fat and being less tender than higher grades —used of meat and especially of beef

Usage Discussion of GOOD

An old notion that it is wrong to say “I feel good” in reference to health still occasionally appears in print. The origins of this notion are obscure, but they seem to combine someone's idea that good should be reserved to describe virtue and uncertainty about whether an adverb or an adjective should follow feel. Today nearly everyone agrees that both good and well can be predicate adjectives after feel. Both are used to express good health, but good may connote good spirits in addition to good health.

Full Definition of GOOD

Usage Discussion of GOOD

Adverbial good has been under attack from the schoolroom since the 19th century. Insistence on well rather than good has resulted in a split in connotation: well is standard, neutral, and colorless, while good is emotionally charged and emphatic. This makes good the adverb of choice in sports <“I'm seeing the ball real good” is what you hear — Roger Angell>. In such contexts as <listen up. And listen good — Alex Karras><lets fly with his tomatoes before they can flee. He gets Clarence good — Charles Dickinson>good cannot be adequately replaced by well. Adverbial good is primarily a spoken form; in writing it occurs in reported and fictional speech and in generally familiar or informal contexts.